BOOK REVIEW : TONY ZALE ; THE MAN OF STEEL

July 12, 2015 · No Comments

By Jim Amato

I recently finished a wonderful book titled “Tony Zale ; The Man Of Steel”. It was written by Tony’s nephew Thad Zale and the astute Clay Moyle. The first thing that impressed me about this fine book was its attention to detail. The time and effort that went into researching this book jumps off the pages. What also impressed me was the fact that this was not just a book on Tony Zale’s boxing career. It was also about Tony Zale, the man.

Tony Zale was a devout and religious man but he was dealt several issues in his personal life that only his unyielding faith was able to lead him through. Zale was surely a champion inside and outside the ring. Tony is considered by many to be among the greatest fighters to ever wear the middleweight crown. That in itself speaks volumes about his talent. In this book there are great chapters covering Tony’s fights with Georgie Abrams, Al Hostak, Billy Conn and many others. Also the famous trilogy with Rocky Graziano.

After Tony’s retirement he dedicated himself to helping others. He loved working with kids and in the end Mr. Zale gained the respect and admiration of all who knew him. I highly recommend this book. Hats off to the authors for a job well done. This book will be placed on the “keeper” shelf in my boxing library.